


tailor-made

by RyeFo



Category: Frankenstein & Related Fandoms, Original Work
Genre: 90s', Changelings, F/F, Inspired by Frankenstein, Other, Urban Fantasy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-10
Updated: 2019-04-10
Packaged: 2020-01-11 01:37:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,107
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18420158
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RyeFo/pseuds/RyeFo
Summary: Casey is a changeling who owns a skate-repair shop. Frankie is the cute girl who insists on detaching her head to nose at their business.





	tailor-made

**Author's Note:**

> First time posting my original work on AO3, and I doubt this is gonna gain much traction. However, I figured this was as good a place as any to make kind of a portfolio, so. Why not. ^^ Pillowfort link is here: https://www.pillowfort.io/posts/577814

It was hitting lunchtime when Casey found themself on their last stick of cherry bubble gum, hunched over their workshop desk to get that perfect angle.  

Casey shoved the gum onto the back of their teeth, gravitating their brush in a gentle pulling motion, gliding on the side of the skate—had to be perfect, this was supposed to be better than just good— 

“Done.” Putting their brush aside, Casey then held up the inline skate to admire their handiwork—a simplistic design it may be, but it was a precise one, with the teal initials having intricate stems inside the border, emblazoned with cherry flames to make the look a signature.  

They took a breath before putting it under a nearby heater light. They wiped their forehead, tightened the red flannel around their waist, and smiled, blowing a satisfying bubble. About to go over to the hanger of additional parts, they stopped at the sound of the bell above their door. 

“Hello? Anyone home?” The voice called. 

“Just a sec!” Peeking their hand up over their desk, Casey pointed out the chairs. “Take a seat for now!” 

Footsteps carried away from the chairs, and it was quiet for a moment, before— 

 _“Hello!_ ”  

Casey screamed—the sudden appearance of a detached  _head_  hovering over them at their workshop table made Casey whack their head and fall over onto their rear.  

“…Too sudden?” Casey glared over at the perpetrator, currently attaching her head back onto her neck to avoid looking at them. “Sorry, Casey!” 

“Frankie, we’ve talked about this. Keep your head on when I’m near things like that.” Casey rubbed their head, sticking their baseball cap back on. They stood, sliding a needle and thread over.  

They then sat on their stool as Frankie started to replace the stitches on her neck, trying to ignore how cute she was today. Pastel-rainbow baby-doll dress with matching hair-ribbons? Paired with fishnets and black combat boots? Was Frankie trying to kill them?  

“I take it this isn’t a friendly visit.” Casey tried to distract. “You here to check on your order?” 

“Mm-hm!” Frankie bit off the thread after tying it in a neat bow, kicking her legs to show her worn-down skates. “These ol’ things ain’t no good for a street skate! I can’t be a slacker for the team! I needed something with a ‘lil extra—” She opened her fists into a fireworks motion. “ _Pizazz_!”  

“We’re in the 90’s, Frank. Stop with the outdated slang.” Frankie just stuck her tongue out at Casey, who hid an amused grin. “I’m just finishing them up. You sure you don’t want the skates to go inline?” 

Frankie shrugged, stroking her long, black and white pigtails. “Didn’t seem right to give up the quads. Plus, the stitching on my legs aren’t always strongest, y’know?”  

Silence swept over the workshop for a moment, the clock quietly ticking on as Casey checked on the heater, Frankie playing with her hair.  

Casey then broke the silence with a gentle sigh. “Well… hopefully, we can solve that. I’ve been working on something for you.”  

They beckoned for Frankie’s full attention. Blinking like an excitable child, Frankie watched as Casey pulled back a red curtain with a grin. “See anything you like?” 

Spinning on a rotating hanging rail like crown jewels were several custom-made legs. Each one a pale pastel colour—lilac, teal, lemon, and a few others. On the calves, were a familiar design of teal initials, F.M.  The feet were auspiciously absent, until Frankie’s eyes drifted to the freshly-painted skates underneath the heater, and noticed the skates were made of the same material her legs were.  

Her eyes began  _glowing_. “How… how on Earth did you…” She whipped her head around. “You’re not a scientist! How did you make the limbs connect to others without help?!” 

“That’s a little offensive.”  

“Casey.” 

A flush came to their cheeks. “I—I know, sorry.” Bowing with their head, Casey started to mess with their cap. “I’m still a changeling, y’know? Magic kinda runs in our veins. Magic’s just an unexplored science so I just… studied necromancy. Pretty standard?” 

The fidgeting increased. “A-And I like a challenge. I wanted to see if I could do this, so I… well, I could already make the limbs as a hollow husk, so I went further so they’d function as an actual moveable limb." Casey’s face grew even hotter with Frankie’s growing silence, their pointed ears laying flat against their head. “S-So, yeah. That’s what I did.” 

Frankie’s mouth felt dry as she near-mouthed her next words. “ _Why_?” 

As they looked up, Casey saw themself reflected in the watery surface of her doe-blue eyes. They saw their expression in that reflection looking more and more uncertain, gazing at her under the lid of their lashes.  

Slowly, Casey reached out and hooked a pinkie around Frankie’s. “You’ve  _always_ loved street skating, even as a kid. I know it’s freeing for you since you left your Dad.” 

Frankie turned her head down. “Why is that your business?” 

“Because the way you move? Glide down those streets with so many people around you?” Casey’s smile widened as they hooked their fingers around Frankie’s, raising together until both hands were intertwined. “It’s inspiring to anyone how freeing it is to you, Frank!” 

Frankie’s eyes were glistening when Casey brought their other hand up to cup her face. “Do you even  _see_ yourself when you’re dancing on those wheels of yours? For you, these are tailor-made. There’s nothing like it in the world. Just like you.” 

“I…”  

Casey took a breath. Frankie bowed her head onto Casey’s hand. “I did it because I wanted to, Frank. There’s no ulterior motive.”  

Frankie nuzzled into Casey’s magic-dusted hands. “I know.” She bit her lip. “…I feel bad, though.” 

Casey blinked in surprise. “What? Why?”

“I mean…” She hid her face in their hand as her face went the colour of a cherry. “You’re fantastic at what you do, but I had one in coming here early.” 

“Oh.” They raised a brow. “Do tell?” 

Frankie’s hands came up to cover Casey’s hand on her face, smiling underneath. Her tale-tell heart whispered the truth that she’d tried to disguise as a lie in her head, thumping along with a gentle rhythm.  “Would you like to grab a few shakes after my next street skate?” 

Casey’s heart froze for a moment before the glow on their cheeks came back. “I’d love to, Frank.”  

With the sun blazing outside, with the dust of the sidewalk blowing along the jay-walked paths of the down-trodden trails, something inside that tiny, paint-speckled workshop began to unfurl.

**Author's Note:**

> Please give kudos/comment if you liked! I appreciate it. :)


End file.
